Round Thuya Wood Boxes

The Thuya tree is a coniferous tree indigenous to the Western Atlas mountains of North Africa; its burl is a dense wood with a high oil content. Its color varies from rich golden brown to nearly black. This unique tree produces a large underground root with many outgrowths. The Greeks named it “Thuya” meaning sacrifice, because they used an oil distilled from it as incense in their religious ceremonies These boxes are handmade by local craftsmen in a small coastal town called Essaouira in Morocco. The finish that’s been applied to them is a hand rubbed shellac.